The Red Stands for Irony

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III & W. HADEN BLACKMAN; Art by J.H. WILLIAMS III and AMY REEDER with RICHARD FRIEND; Cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III; 1:10 Variant cover by AMY REEDER"I suspect that Batwoman is socialite Kate Kane. I intend to prove it beyond a shadow. I need to know if she can be trusted, what her motivations are. I'm going undercover." – Batman: Mission Log Entry 2756

Featuring a unique story composition that combines the art of Eisner Award-winner J.H. Williams III (DETECTIVE COMICS, PROMETHEA) and Amy Reeder (MADAME XANADU), this special #0 issue acts as a new introduction into the life of Batwoman! Things pick up roughly where the BATWOMAN: ELEGY HC left off, and this issue acts as a primer for the upcoming new series featuring multiple award-winning creators!

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III & W. HADEN BLACKMAN; Art by J.H. WILLIAMS III and AMY REEDER with RICHARD FRIEND; Cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III; 1:10 Variant cover by AMY REEDER"I suspect that Batwoman is socialite Kate Kane. I intend to prove it beyond a shadow. I need to know if she can be trusted, what her motivations are. I'm going undercover." – Batman: Mission Log Entry 2756

Featuring a unique story composition that combines the art of Eisner Award-winner J.H. Williams III (DETECTIVE COMICS, PROMETHEA) and Amy Reeder (MADAME XANADU), this special #0 issue acts as a new introduction into the life of Batwoman! Things pick up roughly where the BATWOMAN: ELEGY HC left off, and this issue acts as a primer for the upcoming new series featuring multiple award-winning creators!

Outhouse Editor

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye.."

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye.."

Sullivan ruined his life with alcohol. He lost everything. Then one day, sitting in a drunken stupor, a strange man approached him. He offered him a gift: a small amount of cash and house in Kansas. From the moment Sullivan accepted the gift, his cravings for alcohol disappeared. The house was old. The body he found inside… not quite so old. Sullivan buried it in the backyard and magically three gold coins appeared. That night he had strange dreams. In the morning his cravings had re-appeared, but he knew what to do. He lured an old woman into the house and shut her in the same room in which he’d found the body. He got three more coins and he buried her in the yard. He called the Bureau and they sent Hellboy. This is the first, and longer, of the two stories in our Double Feature of Evil, a comic very much modeled after the sort of B-movies and Warren comics I enjoyed in the 70s.

Another memory of my 70s childhood was reading Richard Corben in Heavy Metal magazine. I hadn’t come across him too often between and Makoma, his first Hellboy story, and I’ll be honest and admit that it wasn’t until he nailed Asmodeus in The Bride of Hell that I really began to get excited about their collaborations. In my write up of the first B.P.R.D. trade I mentioned how the stories were inked to match Mignola’s work. This is something you see in the more recent Hellboy comics as well. Its not something you’ll see with Corben. He comes to the character with his own well established style. One famous for its larger-than-life, well muscled heroes and its monsters, making him both a distinctive voice and a good fit.

I enjoyed the two stories very much (the second involves a man who draws of ancient magics to get his revenge, but doesn’t take the time to really learn all he should), but having read some online discussion of it, I suspect a part of my enjoyment may stem from being able to draw on, as a reader, the same pop cultural wellsprings I think Mignola did as a writer. These are good stories. Fun stories. Greed, lust, and anger are met with well deserved, but surprising endings. People get what they deserve--eventually--and isn’t that what we all want?

Sullivan ruined his life with alcohol. He lost everything. Then one day, sitting in a drunken stupor, a strange man approached him. He offered him a gift: a small amount of cash and house in Kansas. From the moment Sullivan accepted the gift, his cravings for alcohol disappeared. The house was old. The body he found inside… not quite so old. Sullivan buried it in the backyard and magically three gold coins appeared. That night he had strange dreams. In the morning his cravings had re-appeared, but he knew what to do. He lured an old woman into the house and shut her in the same room in which he’d found the body. He got three more coins and he buried her in the yard. He called the Bureau and they sent Hellboy. This is the first, and longer, of the two stories in our Double Feature of Evil, a comic very much modeled after the sort of B-movies and Warren comics I enjoyed in the 70s.

Another memory of my 70s childhood was reading Richard Corben in Heavy Metal magazine. I hadn’t come across him too often between and Makoma, his first Hellboy story, and I’ll be honest and admit that it wasn’t until he nailed Asmodeus in The Bride of Hell that I really began to get excited about their collaborations. In my write up of the first B.P.R.D. trade I mentioned how the stories were inked to match Mignola’s work. This is something you see in the more recent Hellboy comics as well. Its not something you’ll see with Corben. He comes to the character with his own well established style. One famous for its larger-than-life, well muscled heroes and its monsters, making him both a distinctive voice and a good fit.

I enjoyed the two stories very much (the second involves a man who draws of ancient magics to get his revenge, but doesn’t take the time to really learn all he should), but having read some online discussion of it, I suspect a part of my enjoyment may stem from being able to draw on, as a reader, the same pop cultural wellsprings I think Mignola did as a writer. These are good stories. Fun stories. Greed, lust, and anger are met with well deserved, but surprising endings. People get what they deserve--eventually--and isn’t that what we all want?

rubber spoon

I hate scoring or grading or whatever. I think someone should just read the review and know how good you think it is, but... if I gotta, I gotta: 8.5. Not the greatest Hellboy story ever, but still a great Hellboy story.

rubber spoon

I hate scoring or grading or whatever. I think someone should just read the review and know how good you think it is, but... if I gotta, I gotta: 8.5. Not the greatest Hellboy story ever, but still a great Hellboy story.

Review Grouper

Loved this book. I have been a fan of Hellboy for a while and when ever Richard Corben is on art I get excited. As usual he blew it out of the water. As for the story I really like the first one and was meh on the second. Overall 7.5/10

Review Grouper

Loved this book. I have been a fan of Hellboy for a while and when ever Richard Corben is on art I get excited. As usual he blew it out of the water. As for the story I really like the first one and was meh on the second. Overall 7.5/10